Technology moves fast, especially in the hotel industry. It’s important for owners and developers to keep that in mind when building properties, experts said.

“Technology continues to change on a daily basis,” said Bill Wilhelm, president of R.D. Olson Construction. “A year from now, it’s not necessarily going to be outdated, but it can be behind.”

To stay ahead of the technology curve, developers and owners should make use of design that allows systems the ability to expand and the flexibility to change things out.

“Part of what we plan for is the inevitability of everything being hands-free,” said John Farrow, general contractor at Farrow Commercial. “Everything is going to be tied to smart devices and router systems.”

That extends to motion detectors, HVAC systems monitored from the lobby and AC units that automatically turn on and off when needed, Farrow said.

Perhaps most important, sources said, is to focus on the strength and range of a hotel’s wireless system.

“The future is already here,” Farrow said. “It’s wireless. Everything will be wireless. This will result in savings for power systems.”

Lee Shuman, director of project management at Peachtree Hotel Group, said that especially with new-build hotels, the focus must be on the building’s infrastructure.

“You have to be able to put in the core infrastructure so you can support that part of the hotel with the changing technology,” he said. “That means you’re looking at ways to be as flexible as possible. The really critical component I see in the technology market is that everyone now has smart devices, and several smart devices. So you’re not just talking about the infrastructure, but how does it interface with the guest who has a constant need to have something plugged in and has to have power?”

Getting power to the customer is a constant problem, Shuman said. Sometimes that means running wiring in the walls, but that’s not always an option if what needs power is in the center of the room.

“Hardwiring can be a challenge,” he said. “All these devices that we use and carry, all those things require them to be powered up at some point. That’s why airports install a lot of charging stations.”

If it’s not possible to run wiring in the walls, another option could be to install a floor-to-ceiling column. Such a setup could interrupt the flow of a particular hotel space, though that’s not always a bad thing, Shuman said.

“Maybe the interior space is more about leisure conversation, where the outside is set up for small business meetings and folks that need powered devices,” he said.

Trying to anticipate client needs can be a headache, Wilhelm said. “It’s a challenge from a construction standpoint trying to put in a sufficient backbone system,” he said.

Farrow said the construction cost associated with building in flexibility isn’t necessarily more expensive than how hotels were built in the past.

“It will stay and maintain as consistent with construction industry pricing,” he said. “Wireless phone systems can support multiple devices so you’ll see economies of scale.”

Wilhelm said he has seen a lot of owners opting to install “dumb TVs” that have a set-top box through providers such as Apple or Roku. Owners who put in a trendy smart TV today might be hurting if that trend goes by the wayside. So-called dumb TVs also allow for updates to the technology to occur through an integrated system, he added.

Even with building in flexibility, owners likely will have to revisit their tech needs on average every five to seven years, Wilhelm said. With that in mind, he has seen owners take a simple “white room approach.”

“You have the (eye-pleasing) architectural elements, but you design the room so it has flexibility to (be) multipurpose,” he said.

Renovations tend to be a little bit less of a problem because it is easier to convert existing assets, Shuman said.

“You can still provide a system that allows you to do mobile check-in,” he said. “You can still do RFID locks. You can still apply traditional power sources to (furniture, fixtures and equipment). You can still do all of those things.”

At the end of the day, hoteliers have to understand what type of guests come into the hotel, Shuman said.

SOURCE: http://hotelnewsnow.com/Article/15847/Create-tech-flexibility-when-designing-hotels